A fire that began on Wednesday 29 July has devastated over 112 hectares (277 acres) of Dunwich Heath, a nature reserve in east Suffolk, and neighbouring Minsmere. Reserve staff report that rare bird species have lost crucial habitat, and rare invertebrate species are believed to have been “decimated”.
The fire took hold at a “ferocious pace” due to hot weather, dry conditions, and changing winds, according to Suffolk Fire Service. More than 100 firefighters from 18 fire services have attended the scene. While the above-ground fire has been subdued, below-ground temperatures have exceeded 600C, and surface temperatures reached 60C.
Adam Rowlands, area manager for the RSPB, stated that the vegetation essential for supporting birdlife, including gorse and trees, appears to have been destroyed, leaving no nesting, feeding, sheltering, or roosting sites. He also noted that invertebrates are not well-equipped to escape fire and would have suffered mortality, with the loss of landscape meaning survivors have nowhere to return.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, and a police investigation is ongoing. Conservationists have rebutted claims that “rewilding” contributed to the fires, with Jonathan Spencer, former head of environment for Forestry England, stating that Dunwich Heath is a traditionally managed conservation landscape, not a rewilded one.